Structural element



J. JONES July 28, 1936.

S TRUCTURAL ELEMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 25, 1953 Hu h. HHHH iTQT Hurt-i1? wag 9Q J. JONES July 28, 1936.

STRUCTURAL ELEMENT Filed March 25, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gmento'c {lb em0 02245. %f

' Of moves.

Patented July 28, 1936 QFFEQE STRUCTURAL ELEMENT Jonathan Jones,Bethlehem, Pa., assignor to McClintic-Marshall Corporation, acorporation of Pennsylvania Application March 25, 1933,'Serial No.662,741

'7 Claims.

This invention relates to structural elements,

especially to a type of knockedown plate girder or beam designed for usewhere room for assembly is'limited and where the pieces to be handled inmaking up-the girder or beam must be relatively compact and light.

-Frequently, where knock-down plate girders are used, it is desirable toprogress by removing rear portions from such a girder and rebuildingthese same portions on in front in a repetitive series It is aparticular object of my invention to provide a knock-down plate girderin which the parts that make up the girder are interchangeableend-for-end, and this in such a manner that assembly and disassembly ofthe girder may be accomplished with a minimum of effort and of requiredspace. V

Heretofore knock-down plate girders have been used wherein in theassembled girder the continuity of the web plate was discontinued atvarious places and no means were provided whereby the shear value of theweb plate at such places was restored. This construction resulted in aserious defect, in that the web plate, and therefore the girder as awhole, was not of equal shear strength throughout its length and couldeasily be crippled by some fortuitous arrangement of loading andsupports which would be perfectly natural to the user, but critical asto the web action. It is another object of my invention to provide aknock-down plate girder in which the value of the web plate forresisting shear is partially or wholly (as may be elected) restored atall points where the continuity of the web plate is interrupted byreason of its knock-down require ments. 1

In a like manner the angles used'to reinforce the web plate heretoforehave been used without restoring the shear value at the points ofintermeans of novel features which will be more fully understood fromthe following description and claims taken with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a girder constructed in accordance withmy invention;

Fig. 2 is a tranverse section taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. -3 is a transverse section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken along the line 4--4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along the line 55 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section of a modification to theembodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 1 and 5;

Fig. '7 is a front elevation of another modification to the embodimentshown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 8 is atransverse section taken along the line S8 of Fig. 7.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings the numeral i designates akncck-down plate girder embodying a preferred form of my inventionprovided with a series of web plates l I placed in overlapping relationat their ends, as at 12 and E3. The-web plates H are demountably unitedat the laps'by demountable fastening devices M. Alongthe outer edge ofeach web plate and on that side whereon the next adjacent web plates (orplate if at girder end) overlap are filler plates 55. The filler plates15 are made the same thickness as the web plates with the result that,with the filler plates l in place, the assembled web plates along theiredges on both sides are flush from one end to the other. An appreciablegap or clearance is preferably left between the ends of the fillerplates l5 and the ends of the adjacent web plates H, as at I6. Thisgapor clearance makes for a saving of cost in manufacture and forsubsequent ease in assembly and disassembly. As afurther convenience inassembly and disassembly the filler plates l5 may be tack welded inplace on the web plates H, though this is not a necessity. It shouldalso be noted that the filler plates l5 by reason of the overlappingarrangement of the web plates ll occur alternately on opposite sides ofthe girder on each successive web plate. Along each outer edge and onthe opposite sides thereof of the assembled web plates I i and thefiller plates I?) are a series of reinforcing angles 51. The angles Hare placed end to end are in length preferably twice that of the centerdistance between successive web plates, which permits preferably ofarranging the meeting ends of the angles I7 so as to always occur midwayof the ends of a web plate H as at 48 and preferably always on the sameside with the filler plates I5 for that particular web plate. Asindicated at 58 an appreciable gap or clearance is preferably allowedbetween the ends of angles H for ease of manufacture and subsequent easeof assembly and disassembly. Splice bars I9 are placed to overlap thevertical outside faces of the adjacent ends of the angles ll. Suitabledemountable fastening devices 20, 2|, and 22 secure the angles l1,splice bars 19, and filler plates l5 to'theassembled web plates ll andmake therewith a temporary integral unit.

It will be realized that the spacing of the various fastening devices I4, 20, 2|, and 22 and the necessary adaptation therefor of theassociated parts ll, I5, [1, and I9 will be standardized so thatthe saidassociated parts will be interchangeable one with another in theirappointed places. 0

In Fig. 6 I show a modification of my above described invention in whichthe splice bar l9 has an outstanding leg in contact with the adjacentoutstanding legs of the angles l1, and is demountably attached theretoby'meansof suitable fastening devices 23. a

It will be seen from the above description that I have provided aknock-down plate girder which is particularly adapted for use in crampedareas where it is desired to advance the work for which the girder isbeing used by removing the demountable parts from the rear part of thegirder and rebuilding the same partsto-thefront part of the girder in arepetitive series of moves.

However, there may be occasions where this the end web plate ll. Also Isupply a filler plate 26 which takes the place of what would normally Ibe the lapped-over end'of the next adjacent web plate. The filler plate26 and theends of the special angles 2 3 and 25 are demountably unitedwith the webplate l l by means of the demountablefastening devices l4and 2| hereinbefore described.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have devised aknock-down web plate glrder of approximately uniform resistance to shearthroughout its length. N This I secure by overlapping the adjoining endsof multiple webplates and by splicing successivereinforcing angles bymeans of filler plates and splice barsin such a manner that I restore tothe assembled girder partially or wholly (asmay be elected) the shearvalue that would'otherwise be lost due to the break-in thecontinuity ofthe web plates'and the reinforcing angles. At the same time. I havedevised a knock-down web plate girder which is;

simple and compact of design, economical in cost of manufacture,andadapted to be conveniently manipulated in difilcult places ofassembly and disassembly.

.While I have shown my invention in certain preferred forms, it will beobvious to those skilled in the art that is is not so limited, but issuseceptible of various other changes and modifications withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof,

and I desire, therefore, that: only suchlimitations' shall be placedthereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as'are specificallysetforth in the appended claims.

. Having thus described.- what I claim as; new" and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:'

1. A structural element comprising a series of plate members joined inan end-to-end overlapping relation, the lapped plates. being arrangedalternately in two parallel planes, fastening means at the lappedjoints, fillerplates along the longitudinal edges of each plateand inthe same plane as the next adjacent plate, a series of chord members inan end-to-end-relation along the' longitudinal edges ofthe'platemembers, splice members, disposed in: overlapping relation withthe ends of the chord members, and'means. joining the chord members,the-filler plates, thesplioe members, and the plate. members.

. 2-. Astr-uctural element; comprising; a. series of plate membersarranged in overlapping relation,

the plates being arranged alternately in two parallel planes, fasteningmeans at the lapped joints, filler plates along the longitudinal edgesof each plateand in thesame plane as the-next adjacent plate, aseries ofchord members in anend-to-end, 7 relation along the longitudinal edgesof the plate members, said chord members having a length approximatelytwice that of the plate members and so arranged that the end-to-endrelation occurs at. and" on the filler plate side of a-p1ate member;splice members disposed in an overlapping relationwith the ends of thechord members, and means joining the chord members, the

filler plates, the splice members, and the plate members.

3.. A structuralielement comprising a series of,

plate members arranged inoVerIapping relation,

' the plates being arranged alternately in two par-. allel planes,fastening means at the lapped joints,

filler plates along the longitudinal edges of each.

plate and in the sameplane as the next adjacent plate, a series ofchordmembers in an end;

to-end relation along the longitudinal' edges of the plate members, saidchord members having; a

length such that the end-to-end relation occurs at and on they fillerplate side of a platemember, splicemem-bers in an overlapping relationwith the ends of the chord members, and means joining, thechord-members, the filler plates, thesplice;

members, and the plate members.

4. A structural element comprising: aseries of platemembers joined in anoverlappingrelation,

the lapped plates being. arranged alternately in two parallel planes,fastening. means. at" the lapped joints, filler platesv tack. Welded.in: place.

along the longitudinal edges of each plate and disposed in the sameplane as the next adjacent.

plate, a series of chordni'embersinan end-toend relation along thelongitudinal edgesof the plate memberssplice members disposed in anoverlappingrelationwith the ends of the chord members,

and means securingthe chord members, the-splice members, the platemembersandf the filler plate members together;

5. A structural element comprising a seriespf plate members joined in.anoverlapping re'lation,

the lapped plates being arranged. alternatelyin two parallel planes,fastening means at, the;

lappedjoints, filler 7 plates along: the longitudinal edges of eachplate and in-the same plane. as.

the nextadjacent plate,. a series. of. chord 'angle members in an endtO-end relation alongthe longitudinal edges of the plate ,members,splice angle members disposed in-an overlapping rela tionwith the endsof the chord angle-members; means joining the chord: angle members thesplice angle members, and the filler plates to the angle. members to thechord angle members.

plate members, and means joining the; splice 6. A- structural elementcomprising a plurality;

tion, means securing the adjacent ends of said of web plates having,ends in "overlapping rela plates, chordmembers SGCllI'flditO the webplates;

and: filler members intermediate the web plates and the chord members. 7

7.. A structural element comprising'a plurality of web plates havingends in overlappinggrelation,, means securingv the adjacent ends of said7 plates, chord members secured to the webplates,

filler members intermediate the-webplates and the chord members, andmeans-joining said' chord members,

JONATHAN: J QNES.

